


Selfish or Selfless

by RichardGraysonPercyJackson



Series: I'm Sorry [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Sad, Suicide, post suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-23 05:20:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18147611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RichardGraysonPercyJackson/pseuds/RichardGraysonPercyJackson
Summary: Jason and Barbara contemplate the idea that someone helped Dick kill himself.*PLEASE READ TAGS*





	Selfish or Selfless

**Author's Note:**

> To fully understand this story, be sure to read "I'm Sorry"

The rain beat heavily around him, plastering his hair to his head as he stared down at the gravestone, roses clutched so tightly in hand that the thorns broke the skin.

“There are rumors,” Jason murmured, setting the flowers down and shaking out his hand. “That you killed yourself as an act of selfishness.” Jason shook his head, shook out his hair. “They’re mispronouncing ‘selfless’.”

He sighed. “I read the note,” he said softly. “We all did. I was going to bring you back. I  _ wanted  _ to bring you back. But…”

 

\------------

 

**_One Week Earlier_ **

 

Jason stormed out of Bruce’s study, phone already in hand. He was surprised when he found Damian at the front door, blocking his exit.

“That’s cute,” Jason sneered. “Back off”

“No.”

“No?” Jason asked. He wasn’t in the mood for this. “I’m trying to bring our brother back, so get out of the way.”

“No.”

Jason turned and stared as Tim appeared, moving to Damian’s side. “He wouldn’t want that, Jason. You saw the note. He thought he was better off dead.”

“Exactly,” Jason snapped. “He  _ thought  _ wrong. We need to bring him back and show him-”

“The Lazarus Effect on his mind will not allow that, Todd,” Damian declared. “You know this. You saw the way your own mind and judgement was clouded when you returned to the living.”

Jason pressed his lips together. “You don’t want him back?”

“We do,” Tim replied. “Believe me, we do. We just...we don’t know how Dick would take it. What if...what if he kills himself again, Jason?”

“What are you saying?”

 

…………...

 

**_Present Day_ **

 

“What’s dead should stay dead,” Jason said quietly, now crouching in front of Dick’s grave. “Or, well, that was Timmy’s reply anyway. The baby bats are so afraid if we bring you back, you’ll just leap into the grave again.”

He hung his head, staring blankly at the wet ground beneath his feet. “I still want to bring you back,” he whispered. “And I think B wants to bring you back too.” he lifted his head. “We’re trying to find some of your contacts. People who you might have talked to that we don’t know. We think... _ Bruce  _ thinks that maybe you confided in someone that we don’t-”

“Hey.”

Jason stood, glancing over his shoulder as Barbara walked up, a bouquet of flowers in hand.

“Hey,” he murmured, stepping back so Barbara could approach and set the flowers down. She, at least, had been rational enough to bring an umbrella and Jason gratefully ducked under it, even if he had to stand hunched. “Come to visit too?”

“That,” Barbara agreed. “And to update you.”

Jason frowned. “On?”

“Bruce found a series of texts and calls between Dick and two unknown numbers over the course of maybe a year before he…” she looked at the grave, unable to finish the sentence. “Anyway, whoever they are, Bruce is trying to track them now.”

“What did the texts say?” Jason asked as they made their way down the slippery slope to their cars.

“One was almost like therapy,” Barbara replied. “Dick’s text periods were random, too. Some were sent at eight at night, others at noon, some at one AM.”

“And the person on the other end?” Jason inquired.

“Always replies in less than two minutes,” Barbara replied. “No matter what time it is. They’ve even offered to come over and stay with Dick.”

“And his reply?”

“He usually calls them right after that,” Barbara answered. “Or they call him.”

“Do they know Dick is dead?”

“The last text and phone call between either two numbers was exchanged four days before Dick passed away,” Barbara said softly. “There hasn’t been anything more since then. So yes, I think it’s safe to say they know.”

“Did Dick discuss it with either of them?” Jason asked. “Killing himself?”

“Anytime he mentioned self harm or suicide, the number he was talking to was quick to call him,” Barbara replied. “So yes and no, I suppose.”

“How often did they text?” Jason asked. “Dick and either number?”

“Every other day with each,” Barbara replied. “If he talked to number A on a Wednesday, he’d talk to number B on a Thursday.”

“So don’t you think it’s suspicious,” Jason said slowly as he shook himself out and climbed into Barbara’s car since his motorcycle was too wet to ride back. “That there’s no communication with either them of a total of  _ four days  _ before his death?”

Barbara was silent for a moment. “Yes, I think it is.”

“What if,” Jason said slowly. “What if they helped him? Or worse. What if they killed him?”


End file.
